Betrothed From Birth
by Sue-Drae
Summary: The Sandaime underestimated Karura's and Kushina's friendship. Now, with a betrothal contract come to light, he must make a choice: will he send Minato's and Kushina's son to Suna, or their daughter? Follow Namikaze Erina's quest for safety and identity as she struggles to find out where her loyalties lie. Chuunin Exams-centric Gaara/OC
1. Chapter 1

Sarutobi Hiruzen was, for not the first nor the last time, at a loss while searching for a solution to his newest problem. Not for the first time, he silently cursed the seemingly innocent scroll that was still lying open on his desk. He glared at the Yondaime Kazekage's signature, hoping in some small part of him that the words on the parchment would change before his eyes. However, the aging man knew that they would not.

He picked up the scroll once more, rereading it for what must have been the fourteenth time, trying his hardest to find a loophole he could exploit. His eyes darted between the scroll in his hands and another official document lying on his desk in an open manilla folder. The words _Certificate of Betrothal_ mocked Hiruzen in their elegant script.

He hadn't known how close Kushina had been to the Kazekage's wife, Karura. He hadn't even considered that Kushina and Minato could have crafted this, let alone do it without his knowledge.

The document lying on his desk was contract binding Konoha and Suna in a way no paper treaty could. A marriage between the children of the Yondaime Hokage and Kazekage... Neither side could breach that sort of contract without starting a very long and bloody war, something neither wanted after the Third Great Shinobi War.

_Minato couldn't have known about... _this_,_ Hiruzen was forced to conclude as he reached farther across his desk, picking up another two files. Both files were incredibly small but that was understandable seeing as the two detailed within the files were barely thirty-six hours old.

"Twins," Hiruzen grumbled to himself. He had the option of choosing which of Minato's newborn children to send to Konoha: the girl or the boy, the jinchuuriki holding the Kyuubi's yin chakra or the jinchuuriki holding the Kyuubi's yang chakra.

Hiruzen had never heard of such a thing, of the separating of a biju's chakra in such a way, but he had two jinchuuriki on his hands that, when they were older, would make an undeniably powerful tag team. If only they could stay together...

Hiruzen stared at the tiny files, trying to decide which one to send to Sunagakure. When he finally came up with a decision, he looked up at Minato's portrait. The Minato in the portrait did not judge his decision, but he didn't forgive the old man for it either.

Hiruzen had never felt so old until he began to write out his reply to the Yondaime Kazekage, promising that the babe would be travelling to Sunagakure as soon as she was old enough.

Namikaze Erina would leave the village her father died to protect in just a few years. Hopefully she would return on a mission when she becomes a kunoichi. Hiruzen had no doubt that she would become a kunoichi, and a brilliant one at that with her parents being who they were.

He would regret not being able to watch her grow into that kunoichi.

_Oh well,_ he sighed to himself. He stood, walking to the window to look out over the village that was, once again, his to protect. _At least I can keep Naruto-kun close to me as he grows up, close to Konoha._

"Is that from the Hokage, tousan?" a curious voice asked. Two ponytails were visible over the edge of the Kazekage's desk and he was sure that, if his daughter were any taller, he'd be able to see the other two. But for now, Temari was barely tall enough to see over the desk on her toes.

"It is," the Yondaime Kazekage confirmed, nodding. Temari squealed with excitement and dashed around the desk, trying to reach for the letter. Her father only chuckled, holding it up out of the three year old's reach.

"No fair, Daddy!"

"Yes it is, munchkin. This is a missive directly from the Hokage. Village leader eyes only," he said teasingly. Temari crossed her arms, huffing impatiently. The Kazekage's eyes softened. Temari looked so much like her mother when she did that...

"But I wanna see!"

And, just like that, the small blonde girl skirted around the defenses of his iron sand. The Kazekage was powerless to say no to his only daughter's whims and offered her the scroll without any more resistance. After staring at it for a few moments, Temari pushed it back at her father.

"What's that say?" she said, pointing at a line of kanji. Her father's lips quirked into a smile as Temari climbed up onto her father's lap with some effort, brandishing the scroll in her father's face to get him to focus on the line she was having trouble with it.

"It says," the man began, taking the scroll from his daughter so that he could read it, "_Thank you for your letter, Kazekage-dono. It is good that you sent word, otherwise the contract might have been lost in the chaos surrounding reconstruction after the Kyuubi Incident. Speaking of which, thank you for your concerns regarding my people. The late Yondaime was very quick in reacting to the threat, so that we had minimal injuries and even fewer deaths. As to the matter for which you wrote me, I have found the contract and I do intend to honor it, as was Minato's wish. His daughter, Namikaze Erina-_"

"His daughter, daddy?" Temari voiced excitedly. "So I'm gonna have a little sister?"

"Aren't two little brothers enough for you?" the Kazekage asked teasingly. Temari thought about it with a frown before shaking her head.

"Nope! And boys are icky, anyway!" she declared. The Kazekage smiled genuinely, one hand leaving the scroll to tickle his unsuspecting victim.

"Yes, they are," he said seriously. _If only she'd always think that..._

But, for now, Temari was still his little girl. Just as Kankuro and Gaara were his to care for, and as Minato's girl would be.

If only Karura had lived long enough to see Kushina's little girl. The two women would have been intolerable while they debated whose girl would kick more ass when they became kunoichi, but it would have been a sight to see... If Minato and he couldn't spar, as opposing village leaders, they could battle vicariously through their wives.

The Kazekage sighed. The world would be a little less bright without Konoha's Yellow Flash.


	2. Chapter 2

I looked in the mirror, straightening my hitai-ate slowly, tying it tighter to its place around my left arm.

After graduating from the Academy, I decided to change my outfit once more. Now, as I judged my appearance, I wore a short sleeved mesh armor shirt beneath a sleeveless tank top dyed a dark red, just a few shades darker than my bright red hair, with a dark brown mini skirt with a dark tan sash that trailed down to just past my knee. Thigh high black boots protected my legs and feet, completing my new outfit.

I looked different but I hardly felt different.

That was a lie. I felt as if I wasn't home in my own skin anymore as my hands lingered on the hitai-ate secured around my left arm. In another world, the symbol engraved into the metal's surface would have been a stylized leaf. In another world, I would have grown up knowing that I had a brother halfway across the world. I would have known that brother. But... In another world, I wouldn't have known about the Kyuubi until it was too late for me to be useful as the tool to my village that I was designed to be.

The Kazekage, the man who had always looked out for my best interest for nearly as long as I could remember, ensured that I always knew of the burden on my soul and the expectations that would be forced upon me because of my status as a jinchuuriki, even an incomplete one with only the yin chakra of the biju. It was with his training and his son, the Ichibi jinchuuriki, that I first made contact with the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Remembering that day always gave me shivers even now. To enter my own mind and to see such a force of nature thrashing and growling from behind the exceptionally thin bars making up its cage was disconcerting enough, let alone the fact that I had only been six. But Gaara had been there for me, supporting me throughout the ordeal.

For nearly three months after that, Gaara and I advanced in leaps and bounds with our progress as jinchuuriki of the Ichibi and the Kyuubi, respectively. But it wasn't fast enough for the Sunagakure Council. They ordered attacks on Gaara, not understanding that he wasn't ready. He got close, dangerously close, to the edge.

It was only after Yashamaru's own attack on Gaara and the man's subsequent demise did the Kazekage finally realize that Gaara was just a flinch away from the breaking point. That was also when he realized that, for whatever reason, the only person who could bring Gaara out of his episode was me. I was the only one who could get close to him, touch him, without sand flying up to impede me.

The Kazekage silently backed off and gave us free rein to do almost anything we wanted. It was bittersweet. We were completely free of obligation until we proved ourselves to be useful, but that gave the village full permission to ignore both Gaara and I completely. For years, we only had each other as constants. Even Gaara's older siblings were distracted away from us. It was hard.

But that was behind me now.

"Are you ready for the mission?" a familiar voice asked in a low voice. I turned my head to look at Gaara, crouched casually in my windowsill.

"You live down the hall. Couldn't you have just knocked on my door?" I asked dryly. "And when were we given an assignment? What are we doing?" In response to my inquiry, Gaara retrieved a small mission scroll from his kunai holster, passing it to me on a small pillow of sand. I opened the scroll without a word, scowling as I read it. "I realize that we're good for our age, but a B-ranked assassination just after graduating from the Academy? I don't even turn nine for another week and a half," I grumbled.

"We could have graduated from the Academy sooner, and they know it. The Council wants us to start being useful," Gaara said quietly. I sighed softly, gathering my gear.

"Do we have a team?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"No."

"So we're going into hostile territory with no back up? I hope you've gotten better at manipulating that sand, Gaara, because I'm not sure if- What am I saying?" I caught myself, grinning. "If anything, I'll be the one out of this without a scratch."

I knew Gaara could see through the bravado but he merely nodding his head, giving me the faintest of smiles. I hadn't seen him truly smile in so long... It'd been longer since I'd heard him laugh...

But this was Gaara. He had more than his fair share of emotional scars and I would respect that, so long as he could even half-smile at me.

"Are you ready to leave?" he asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, uncharacteristically showing his want to leave the village.

"Almost. I think I have a scroll with provisions around here somewhere... I had to seal away all the food the last time Kankuro came around," I informed my fellow redhead and he nodded mutely, understanding. His older brother was notoriously always hungry. I don't know where he put it all, but the aspiring puppeteer could out-eat me, and that's taking my jinchuuriki-fast metabolism into consideration.

Digging around through my closet for just a minute, I exclaimed victoriously, pulling out the light brown scroll. Quickly opening it to make sure that the preservation and storage seals were untampered with, I slipping the scroll into my weapons pouch.

I had begun learning fuinjutsu from my parents' notes that Konoha's Hokage had sent me for my eighth birthday present. Fuinjutsu, as my mom had explained in her notes, was nearly infinite in possibilities. I was already learning basic seals- low to moderate explosive seals, storage seals, preservation seals, chakra lantern seals, and gravity manipulation seals- and I was working my way up the ladder.

"Let's get this done," I said with a grin towards Gaara. He only smirked lightly.

"Why did we accept this mission again?" I panted as Gaara and I ran from the steadily advancing footfalls and angry voices. "I knew this would happen!"

"If you have enough breath to talk, you can run faster," Gaara said around a tight frown. I could see an unfamiliar emotion- worry- in his eyes. As I tightened a hand around my left arm, I grimaced.

Of course I was the one to be injured. It wasn't exactly a severe wound but it slowed me down. Playing prey in a chase against at least four superior fighters was not a good scenario in which to be slow. I had already released the resistance seals I had placed on myself as training but I was still slower than the shinobi gaining on us and I didn't have an ultimate defense like Gaara did.

"We need to get somewhere safe," Gaara murmured to himself. "You can't defend yourself as easily in that state and I don't think I can control my sand well enough to keep you protected."

"Don't be stupid. I'll be healed in a few more minutes."

"You said that twenty minutes ago," Gaara pointed out tensely. I didn't reply, not wanting to acknowledge that he was right. Instead of responding to Gaara, I turned my focus inwards, feeling the Kyuubi prod at our link.

What is it?

You managed to get yourself poisoned, kit. I'm working on it. Whatever was on that ninjato, it's persistent. I'm surprised you can still move your fingers. You suffered minor nerve damage before I could stop it.

Nerve damage? What kind of poison was on that?

I don't know, a nerve agent? the giant fox drawled boredly. I have to burn out the poison before I can get your arm taken care of. Just keep running. If it comes to a stand-off, you can handle enough tails to take care of them.

You mean you're actually offering me chakra? I asked, surprised. The Kyuubi snorted.

You don't think much of my generosity, kit. What'd I ever do to you?... Don't answer that. But, anyway, I'd rather give you a sliver of power than die to some no-name weaklings.

Much obliged, Kurama-kun.

Yeah, yeah. Don't get used to it, kit. I'm still expecting you to track down the rest of my chakra. I'm missing a lot of aggression over here.

Refocusing on my surroundings, I grinned tiredly as red chakra began to prod at the seal keeping it at bay. I released my control on the seal ever so slightly, allowing the Kyuubi to give me a quick boost. It wouldn't last long, I knew, but it would allow me to get ahead while he finished taking the poison out of me.

"Gaara!" I called. His eyes darted back to me and, after looking at me for just a moment, he nodded swiftly. He immediately picked up the pace, leaving grains of sand flying behind him asI bulleted ahead. In almost no time at all we had begun pulling away from our chasers. But I didn't stop running until exhaustion began to pull at my limbs as Kurama's chakra receded once more.

Thank you, Kurama-kun.

Again, don't get used to it, kit. Watch out for raccoon boy; he looks like he's gonna collapse.

I turned my eyes to Gaara and it was true. To a civilian, they might not suspect anything was wrong but he was breathing heavily and, as I watched, his sand was helping to push him forward so that he didn't have to push off with his legs as hard.

"We're almost back into neutral territory," I announced, glancing around at the forest around me. "... Well, if you count Hi no Kuni as neutral ground."

"It counts," Gaara said in a low voice.

"So we can make camp a few miles into the border?" I asked hopefully. Gaara nodded, just as tired as I was. I knew that he was also just as relieved as I was when we finally stopped running and landed in a small thicket of trees, growing close enough to each other to give us some cover, located near a small stream. We set up camp quickly, just throwing down a few blankets and eating a couple of tasteless protein bars for food before settling in for the night.

"I'll watch," Gaara said, his voice low and smooth once more. I scowled.

"No. You'll wake me up for the second watch. You might not sleep because of Shukaku, but you need to rest, Gaara."

"I'll rest in Suna."

"No, you won't. You'll wait till I'm asleep and then sneak out. I know you better than anyone else, so don't try that. Wake me up in a few hours."

"Hai, hai... I will," Gaara promised. I studied him for a long moment, trying to figure out if he was lying to me or not. Guessing that he was but not wanting to fight with him over the matter, I turned over in my sleeping bag and fell asleep quickly, even on the hard ground.


	3. Chapter 3

As I opened my eyes to see rays of sunlight trying to stretch across the sky, I scowled, sitting up immediately.

"Gaara," I growled. The redhead looked down at me from the tree he was perched in, sending me a vaguely surprised look.

"Hmm... I suppose I forgot to wake you up for your watch," he said, glancing up at the sky. "Silly me."

While on other days I might have teased Gaara for using the word 'silly' in casual conversation, especially in regards to himself, I was not in the mood at the moment.

"You were supposed to wake me up!" I called up at him angrily. "Did you get any rest?"

"It was a slow night," Gaara shrugged. I took that to mean that he had meditated most of the time, but meditation wasn't always enough. We had done a lot of work over the past few days, and we had only been able to stay in one place for a few hours at a time, giving neither of us any time to rest or recuperate from the activity. "We should leave. A Konoha patrol came pretty close to us last night, but they skirted around us."

"Do you think they sensed us?" I asked, not sure if I was worried or hopeful. Gaara frowned lightly.

"I don't know. They had a Hyuuga with them, but he didn't alert his teammates to our presence, if he saw us. I think it's more likely that he didn't see us at all."

"We should leave," I echoed him with a nod. "We don't know how far away the next patrol will be and I don't want to be dragged into Konoha."

"They'd probably not torture you," Gaara said in what I understood to be a joking tone. I scowled playfully at him. "Or, at least, nothing permanent. Light scarring, perhaps."

"Shut up, brat."

"I'm older than you by almost ten months."

"Doesn't make you any less of a brat. And girls mature faster, anyway," I reminded him, sticking out my tongue. Gaara's lips quirked into another half smile and I grinned at him. "Alright, brat, let's get out of here. And don't think you've gotten away with the whole watch thing. I'll get you back for that in Suna."

"What are you going to do? Knock me out and let Shukaku terrorize the village so I can get some shut-eye?" he asked, amused. I shook my head, a devious smile coming to my lips.

"Actually, I was just going to tell Temari."

"You wouldn't." Those seafoam green eyes narrowed at me dangerously. I shrugged.

"Wouldn't I?" I asked, finishing clean-up, careful not to leave a trace of our presence. Now done, I circled the tree Gaara was still sitting in slowly before grinning and running off towards home. "Last one to Suna has to give the mission report!"

"You play dirty," I scowled towards Gaara, dragging myself through Suna's gates three days after challenging Gaara back to Suna. It hadn't been my brightest idea to race the Ichibi jinchuuriki through an area comprised largely of desert sands, but I would pay for it as promised. And I would try very hard to not punch the lightly smirking jinchuuriki that had awaited my arrival after unpacking his things, eating, and forgoing the opportunity to rest in an actual bed.

"I merely accepted your challenge," he responded coolly. I scoffed.

"Yes, I had expressly given my permission for you to throw a freaking sand dune at me to slow me down."

"You were drawing on the Kyuubi's chakra. Was I not allowed to use my own abilities?"

"You know that Kurama only gave me enough chakra to make me as fast as you, and even then you probably could have outrun me," I shot back. Gaara only shrugged lightly, gesturing towards the village with a hand.

The guards at the gate seemed increasingly uncomfortable as our exchanged continued. I glared at one of them lightly.

"What's your problem? Never seen a couple of demon spawn having a conversation?" I snapped. The man paled dramatically and I smirked, rolling my eyes. "Jeez, relax. You'd think that Gaara-kun and I just came back from killing someone... Oh wait..."

"Don't call me that," Gaara scowled. I grinned at him, linking arms and beginning to drag him from the gates towards the Kazekage's office.

"Aw, Gaara-kun, is Erina-chan teasing you?"

"Shut up." If I didn't know any better, I'd say that the nine year old was hiding a blush. Good thing I knew better.

"Genin Namikaze Erina and Sabaku no Gaara, reporting a successful mission," I said as clearly as I could to the chuunin at the Missions Desk. He glanced up at me with disdain and I wondered absently what he would do if I drew on just enough of Kurama's chakra to turn my eyes blood red and my teeth to fangs. He might even piss himself.

You want to? Kurama chuckled mischieviously. No one gets away with insulting my flesh-bag. Except me, of course.

Aw, Kura-kun really does care, I said dryly to myself. The Kyuubi growled.

"Report," the chuunin said, holding a brush to a blank mission report scroll. He'd put in the basic details and then give me the scroll to write the detailed report. It was such a bother.

"Mission ranked B, type specialization assassination. The target was mobster Yakuzi Moto, trained formally as a genin of Yugakure and then dishonorably discharged due to proven interest and importation of weapons, human slaves, and narcotics. Target was brought down successfully via asphyxiation by sand during his sleep, credited to Sabaku no Gaara."

The chuunin wrote out a few more lines on the scroll after I had finished speaking before rolling it up and handing it to me.

"Return the scroll to this office within one week to receive payment," he said, at least striving to be professional towards Gaara and I. I accepted the scroll from him with a nod and turned towards the exit, Gaara following behind me silently.


	4. Chapter 4

"Why are we doing this?" I whispered to myself, looking over my new mission scroll. It was the highest ranking mission we'd ever gotten: an A rank. It was almost ludicrous that we received this mission. Gaara and I had only formally worked together for three years and now the Kazekage and the Council were throwing us into the firing line. If we didn't complete the mission perfectly, the odds of capture, torture, and subsequent death were astronomically high.

"Because it is the mission." I didn't jump at the voice. Gaara had done this too many times before for me to start being scared of him now.

"But it is Konoha..."

"You are a Suna nin."

"But I was born in Konoha, Gaara!" I yelled, turning to face him. "You don't understand! My parents lived in Konoha, they died for it! My brother lives in Konoha; he is one of their genin. What if I have to fight him? What if I'm told to kill him, Gaara? I can't do that!"

"You can... But you won't have to. My father," Gaara scowled around the word, "will not have you fight to kill your own sibling. And, even if you do fight, you will be able to incapacitate him. That is all the plan calls for, until further notice."

I didn't like the way Gaara finished speaking. I had begun to feel better until his last three words. Trying to stop myself from shaking, I turned back to my desk, my hand tightening around the mission scroll.

"Gaara... If you have to fight him... Will you kill him?"

I didn't turn around to see whatever expression flitted across Gaara's face before he could hide it, just like everything else he felt. I did, however, hear him exhale slowly.

"No."

"Even if the plan calls for it?" I asked softly. This time I could sense Gaara stepping closer to me. I closed my eyes when he stepped around to face me. I refused to move until familiar arms wrapped around me.

"I will not... To hurt him would be to hurt you. I'll never hurt you again."

"You can't promise that," I murmured, not stopping myself as I leaned into the hug. He was shorter than me for now. He was probably going to be taller than me by the time we were done growing. I felt strangely hollow when Gaara pulled away long enough to look at me.

"Yes, I can. You don't break any of your promises," he reminded me. I smiled tightly.

"I don't make a lot of promises anymore."

"And neither do I," he said seriously, eyes locked onto mine. Unable to meet his gaze for long, I hugged him back tightly.

"Thank you," I murmured. I could almost feel him smile. I wondered if it was another half smile or if, after all these years, Gaara had let himself smile again.

Perfectly content with Ichibi jinchuuriki's arms wrapped around me, I silently noted that I'd let myself smile again as well.

The past three years had been hard. From abuse from the Council, which exercised its right to order our missions, to the distant and increasingly cold behavior of the Kazekage, Gaara and I truly had no one but each other. He started leaning towards the edge again and I couldn't always help him. It came to a head one full moon when the Ichibi had taken almost full control. Gaara had only been able to reclaim control after...

I had tried to contain Gaara through fuinjutsu but Shukaku was not exactly cooperative. He'd been sealed in a jar for so long that he had taken up a loathing against fuinjutsu and any who wielded it that was so strong that even Gaara's will to keep me out of danger couldn't stop the sand as I stepped between Gaara and a civilian teenage girl. I hadn't been seriously hurt but Gaara had never forgiven himself for that night. With the civilians working themselves into an uproar over the 'vicious attack,' Gaara and I had been sent away from the village under the guise of a long term mission. The three months away from the village gave both the civilians and us a reprieve from the other but, when it was over, the abuse and isolation was worse than ever.

I grew to hate Suna, just like Gaara did. For the first time in years, I found myself wondering what would have happened if the Hokage had kept me in Konoha for just a little longer. Would I have developed stronger bonds there? Did they hate Naruto as much as Suna hated me?

Those questions drove me further away from Suna but I couldn't let them go. I could only hold tighter to the dreams of a better life that they created, the dreams of a life free of Suna's hate.

For our impossible mission, we had a team. For once, Gaara and I wouldn't be alone with each other but, after meeting the chuunin who would be posing as the third genin in our team, I also wished that we would be allowed to be entered as a pair. The chuunin shifted between two moods: scared shitless and arrogantly cocky. The first time I had met him, just before we left Sunagakure to get to Konohagakure early enough to settle into the village and acquaint ourselves with its basic defenses, he was nearly shaking.

The boy- I didn't bother to learn his name, assuming that Gaara or I would probably tire of him enough to kill him as soon as we didn't need a teammate- was about sixteen years old to our twelve. He'd been promoted to chuunin in the field after a mission went terribly wrong and he, out of sheer dumb luck and some very poor decision making on the side of the opposition, ended up saving the lives of one of his teammates as well as his sensei. The fact that his other teammate died an agonizing and fiery death was apparently ignored. He was short for a guy, about 5'6", with stringy blond hair that always looked like it needed to be washed and the beginnings of a moustache.

As soon as it became apparent that neither Gaara nor I were going to kill him merely for existing, the boy took that to mean that we respected him as our superior and then proceeded to tell us tales of his victories over foreign shinobi like we were his little kouhai. I for one was very doubtful of the tale involving how he single handedly crippled an Uchiha not two years ago, seeing as one of the Uchiha had gone insane and murdered everyone in his clan aside from his little brother. If What's-His-Name had met and defeated Uchiha Sasuke, the brat wouldn't have been an objective for Gaara and I to eliminate early on. If he had met Uchiha Itachi... I doubted that there would have been enough of him to put in a thimble.

Which would have been fine by me, as the boy kept going on and on about his self-inflated career.

"Can I kill him yet?" Gaara asked me lowly, coming closer to me to speak. I laughed, smirking towards the teenaged chuunin.

"I don't think we brought any extras. We'll be able to ditch him in Konoha, though."

"Can't we just ditch him now? It's not like the other teams will miss either of us," Gaara replied. I frowned but shook my head.

"If we leave the group, Baki-san or one of the other jounin will report us to the Kazekage. No... We can part ways once we get to the village."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Hey, did I tell you guys about that time I got in a fight with the Tsuchikage's granddaughter? I almost felt bad for beating her; she was pretty hot."

I resisted the urge to punch something, mainly What's-His-Name's face.

I could tell by the way that Gaara's hand twitched that he felt much the same, though he was more likely to crush the chuunin to a bloody pulp with his sand.

Yep. We've had some good times with that sand.


	5. Chapter 5

"Is this a good idea?"

"Since when do you care if something's a good idea or not?" I said to Gaara as I walked towards the Hokage Tower. Gaara nearly paused before an accepting look overcame his features. "Fair enough?"

"Fair enough," he nodded. "Lead on, brat."

I didn't respond, knowing that my banter would be wasted this far from Sunagakure. We were in unfamiliar and, as of the moment we stepped through the gates, potentially hostile territory. Gaara wasn't one to be playful if either of us could be in danger because of it, especially since I didn't have an ultimate defense like he did. I had seals coating my body in an iron-tough and razor thin coating of chakra but it wasn't sturdy enough to take more than a few good slashes. If someone got too close with a katana, for example, I would be in trouble if I couldn't dodge it. Because of that weakness, I had added greaves and braces to my outfit and wore heavy duty mesh armor over anything unnecessarily vulnerable, such as my internal organs.

I wandered into the building, making it look like I was heading to a destination while I really had no idea where I was going. After a few minutes of walking through the corridors, I found myself in an office-like reception area. A woman behind a desk looked up at Gaara and I almost curiously, frowning lightly at our hitai-ates.

"Are you two going to be competing in the upcoming Chuunin Exams?" she asked. I nodded, as did Gaara. "Can I help you find anything?"

"Actually, I was wondering where I could arrange to meet with the Hokage."

"I'm sorry, but the Hokage is a very busy man. He can't exactly arrange to meet with every team looking for him."

"Would the name Namikaze Erina mean anything to you?" I asked bluntly. The woman's eyes widened ever so slightly and she reddened. "Can you tell Sandaime-sama that I'm back in the village for the Exams? And that I'd like to meet him?"

"Of course. I'm sorry about that, Namikaze-san. Please, sit down," she said hurriedly, gesturing towards a sofa pushed up against the wall before rushing into a hallway and opening the first door on the left. I didn't hear the words exchanged but she returned very soon. Not looking offended that neither Gaara nor I had sat down, she brushed a few flyaway hairs from her face and took a deep breath. "Hokage-sama will see you now. First door on the left."

"Arigatou," I said, flashing the woman a grin. She nodded mutely, stepping aside to let Gaara and I pass. Gaara cut in front of me just before the door and, with a small smirk, opened the door for me. I rolled my eyes but walked through the door slowly.

"Sandaime-sama?" I called into the office. The office was surprisingly bland for a man who had spent so many years in power. Against the wall next to the door were four portraits of the current and previous Hokages, each in full garb. Opposite the door was an old oaken desk bearing a number of organized looking stacks of paper at which was seated a grey chair. At my call, the chair swiveled around to reveal an old man- the Third Hokage and the God of Shinobi himself, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Hello, Erina-chan. Welcome back," he greeted happily. Seeing the old man smile at me, I nearly froze. _I'm trying to destroy his home, and he only smiles... He can't know the truth, then. Baki-san will be proud to know as much._

"Arigatou, Hokage-sama. It is..." I tried to find a way to describe how I felt to be in a new village. "It is nice to get out of Suna like this." Hiruzen hid a frown, but not before I saw it. Amending, I added, "It's nice to be able to see so many new people and have such an opportunity for Suna. We have some strong candidates this year, at least according to Kazekage-sama."

"Really? Then I'm interested in seeing them myself. Now, who's this with you?"

"Sabaku no Gaara," the redhead introduced himself, bowing his head.

"The Kazekage's boy?" Hiruzen asked, a new light in his eyes. Though I could tell that Gaara did not appreciate being referred to as such, the jinchuuriki nodded. Hiruzen looked between us. "Then that means-"

"We know about the contract, yes," I responded dryly. "Temari got it out of her father a few years ago." There was a lull in the conversation at the point, one that wasn't broken until Hiruzen cleared his throat.

"So, how is Suna treating you, Erina?"

"Like a jinchuuriki, I suppose," I shrugged. "I'm held at arm's length, mostly. How is Konoha treating Naruto?"

"Better, but it seems that you and he were very similar," Hiruzen frowned. I hid a grim smile, doubting that our childhoods were really that similar. "He's in the village, if you want to see him. I can have him brought here."

"I'll wander around myself," I shrugged, buying Gaara and I an alibi if we were caught sneaking around. "He knows about me, right? You told him that I was sent to Suna, and all that?"

"Yes, you won't be a mystery twin out of the blue," Hiruzen chuckled. "But try not to scare him too much. I don't think his team was even told of the Chuunin Exams yet."

"Brilliant."

"You're going to have me hide in a tree, aren't you?" Gaara asked tiredly. I grinned.

"One of us has to hide while the other makes a scene. Do you feel up to causing a commotion in Konoha?"

"No."

"Then, yes. You are going to be hiding in a tree. We'll see you around, Hokage-sama! Oh, and if either of us get arrested, could you-"

"You'll be treated like any other foreign shinobi."

"Even if the Yondaime Hokage is my tousan? And if the Yondaime Kazekage is Gaara's father?" I asked sweetly. Hiruzen sighed softly, waving me away.

"At least endeavor to keep yourself out of trouble, Erina-chan."

"Hai, jii-sama," I saluted seriously before disappearing in a shunshin alongside Gaara. Reappearing just outside the building, I could just barely hear Hiruzen begin to complain about the sand on his floor.

As it turns out, neither Gaara or I had to make a scene. Our teammate What's-His-Name did that for us.

"That hurt, you little brat," What's-His-Name growled, picking up a small boy by the front of his shirt. The boy's long scarf trailed down, almost touching the ground even as its owner was lifted up to What's-His-Name's face. The boy's companions looked on with worry and fear for their friend. There were two kids about the boy's age, and then another two around my and Gaara's age. I guessed that they were also genin by the Konoha hitai-ates they wore.

"Konohamaru!" a blond boy wearing a rather ugly orange jumpsuit called out, clearly concerned. I frowned at his blue eyes before my own eyes widened. _Naruto?_

"I'm sorry," the girl, with oddly pink hair, said. I wondered if she had a bloodline limit, with hair that color it was more than possible. "We were just fooling around!"

"Hey, stop it! Put him down, dattebayo!" The boy I believed to be Naruto shouted. What's-His-Name's hand tightened around the boy's shirt.

"I think I'll just play around with him until the others catch up," he smirked. The boy began kicking at him futilely, making the teenager just smile cruelly. "You're pretty lively, brat."

Fist tightening, I watched as Naruto growled at my teammate and began running at him. Before Naruto could get close to the teenager, I jumped in between them. Carefully deflecting the punch that Naruto threw at my idiot of a stand-in teammate, I jabbed at said teenager's arms and forced his arms to go numb, releasing the boy. I caught the kid before he could hit the ground and set him down carefully.

"E-Erina," the teenager gasped. I didn't turn to face him.

"You know... I _really_ hate bullies," I growled. "You alright, kid?"

"H-Hai!" he yelped. I looked towards Naruto, who was only just recovering from my block.

"You're fine, right?" Instead of looking relieved, Naruto looked even more angry.

"I could've gotten him!"

"That would have lead to an international incident." I brandished my hitai-ate, now around my neck, towards the group. "I apologize for my teammate's actions. I assure you, it won't happen again."

"Who are you?" the pink haired girl asked, her voice light. I glanced towards her.

"Suna genin... You should get out of the tree now. Party's over." I looked up to a see a raven haired boy who was doing a very poor job at hiding his surprise. As he stood from the tree branch he had been crouched on, I spotted the Uchiha fan on his shirt. "Let's go."

Sasuke's eyes betrayed his confusion before his eyes snapped wide open. He froze as he finally noticed Gaara standing upside down on the tree branch above him. Gaara disappeared in a swirl of sand before reappearing beside me. He glared lightly at What's-His-Name before walking away.

"Wait!" the pink haired girl called as I turned, all but demanding that What's-His-Name follow along silently. I paused. "You've identified yourselves as Suna genin and, without question, Hi no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni are allied nations, but the arbitrary coming and going of shinobi is supposed to be prohibited by the treaty. State your purpose!"

"To invade your village and crush it to sawdust so that Suna can once again be on top," I said dryly. She froze and I smirked. "Or, that is what I would say if I was actually here to destroy Konoha. At the moment, I'm here to take the Chuunin Exams with my teammates here. You should be told about it today or tomorrow by your senseis."

"I find that hard to believe," the girl murmured to Naruto. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my permit.

"See? Traveling papers, signed by the Kazekage and approved by the Hokage. Until the end of the Chuunin Exams, I and my teammates are free to travel between the two villages as necessary. Now, we'll be going now." The three of us began to walk away again until-

"Oi." I stopped in the middle of the street. Glancing back, I scoffed.

"What do you want, Uchiha?"

"You know my name. I do not know yours. What is it?" he asked, eyes narrowed. I yawned.

"Ask Naruto-kun. He should know his own sister's name, after all."

"E-Erina?" Naruto stammered, stepping forward. The pink haired girl frowned at Naruto and I grimaced, looking back at Gaara and What's-His-Name.

"I guess I'll see you guys at the hotel. Gaara, try not to kill him."

"I will make an effort," he conceded. What's-His-Name's eyes widened as Gaara began to walk away once more, leaving the older boy jogging to catch up as I was left to the Konoha group.


	6. Chapter 6

"So you and Naruto are twins?" the pink haired girl- whose name I learned was Haruno Sakura- asked curiously. I nodded. "Why haven't I seen you around the- I mean... Why are you a Suna nin, then?"

"Naruto, does she know who Tousan is?" I asked. Naruto's brow furrowed.

"Do you know who Tousan is?" he asked back. I stared at him uncomprehendingly. After a moment, I stared up at the ceiling blankly.

"Kami, what have you done to muck this up?" I muttered. Turning back to Sakura, I began, "Before Naruto and I were born, our mom-" "You know who Kaasan is?"- was very close with the Yondaime Kazekage's wife. When she knew that she was expecting the Yondaime Kazekage and Hokage drafted it into our treaty that the child would be betrothed to either the Kazekage's daughter or the younger of the two sons, depending on the gender of the child. When Naruto and I were born, the Sandaime was unsure of what to do with the both of us and decided that, since the younger son was closer to our age, that I would go to Suna. I left Konoha the day after my third birthday and this is the first time I've been back since. The Kazekage helped take care of me until I was old enough to handle myself and Gaara and I have been pretty much on our own ever since."

"Just you two? In the entire village?" Sakura frowned. I nodded, frowning myself.

"Don't feel bad for me. By being alone, I figured out what was really important and that helped make me strong. It helped me get control over the Kyuubi's yin chakra too."

"You have the yin chakra? I thought-" Naruto began. I shook my head, lowering my voice.

"Neither one of us could handle the entire beast so the Yondaime split it into two. You received its yang chakra and I its yin. Also, you should know that he is itching for his yang chakra back. He says that he's missing a lot of his aggression."

"So you have the more mellow half?" Naruto asked. I shrugged.

"That, or he just happens to like me more."

"I don't know what you guys are talking about, but I like you more," Sakura grumbled, shaking her head. Naruto deflated sadly and I grinned.

As we spent more and more time in that little ramen stand, I found myself regretting more and more the mission that lay ahead of me.

I wondered, not for the first time, what the Kazekage was doing.

"Hey, why are we-"

"Stop talking," Gaara ordered.

And that was that. What's-His-Name was silent as we walked past Room 301 and continued up to the real third floor.

I watched as the nine Konoha rookies came in group by group. When all three teams were there, they wasted absolutely no time in making a scene. Even after an older Konoha genin showed up, they still didn't learn to blend into the crowd. It didn't help that many of them were wearing bright colors. Honestly, it was as if they wanted to be cut down in the field.

"The older one, he's showing the Konoha rookies information on the other applicants," Gaara reported in a low tone. I frowned; as a genin, those records should not be available to him. "The Uchiha asked about someone named Rock Lee, a taijutsu specialist. The one in green, from earlier... Now he's asked about me." Gaara scowled before smirking. "There's not much information, though he can see how many missions I've done."

"Those records would be available, but not to a Konoha genin," I murmured. Gaara nodded. "Anything else?"

"Naruto's asked about you. They can see your mission log as well... And... It shows your status as a jinchuuriki. Or, at least Yakushi mentioned that you possessed demonic chakra."

"What?" I asked, bewildered. "Why didn't it show yours, then?"

"Perhaps when he made the cards he didn't have full access to Suna's records. If he's had access to Konoha's files, the Kyuubi sealing might still be on record," Gaara reasoned. I grimaced, nodding. "It seems that that's all on personal information. He's explaining where the various genin come from..."

"Alright, nothing we need to worry about. We've had that intel for days."

"Hey, the Oto team's moving," the idiot pointed out. I resisted the urge to sigh.

"Clearly. They're not moving towards us, so shut up and watch them. They'll probably reveal part of their hand before we even have to fight."

"Keh, it's not like it'll make a difference if we don't know what they can do. We can take them-"

"I will kill you before these Exams are over," Gaara promised. Rather intelligently, the idiot closed his mouth faster than a bear trap around an idiot chuunin's leg. It's always the simple traps that catch the prey.

"Shut up, pipsqueaks!" A heavily scarred man wearing a black trench coat over a grey uniform appeared out of the smoke, backed by a dozen chuunin proctors. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I am Morino Ibiki, proctor of the first test in the Chuunin Exams."

I exchanged a glance with Gaara. He didn't seem too nervous either.

"You, from the Hidden Sound! No doing whatever you want before the exam! Or do you want to fail before it even starts?" he said threateningly. The genin glared at the floor before looking back at Ibiki.

"I apologize. This is our first time taking the exams. It will not happen again."

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen up! There will be no battles, competitions, or the like without permission from the proctors. Even if you do get permission, actions to kill your opponent will not be permitted. Anyone that messes with me will be disqualified immediately," he threatened.

"Hmm, this exam looks easy," Zaku muttered. He quieted when Ibiki spoke.

"Now then, we will start the first test of the Chuunin Exam. Turn in your applications and take a number card. Sit at the desk with your number on it. Then we will hand out the written test."

When all the applicants were seated, I was seated between a pair of genin I had never met before, one from Taki and the other from Iwa. Neither seemed very pleased to be sitting beside me but I didn't care. I would be done with this thing soon enough.

"Know those that commit awkward cheating doom themselves. If you want to be a chuunin, know that shinobi should act like exemplary shinobi. Also, if one team member gets zero points, the entire team shall be disqualified," he announced, grinning sadistically. "This test lasts one hour. The last question will be given after forty five minutes." The second hand on the clock twitched to twelve… "Begin!"

At once, all the genin turned over their papers, reading each question.

Awkward cheating. So I'm allowed to cheat as long as I get away with... I hummed to myself, thinking of what I had in my repertoire. Grinning, I made a single hand seal beneath the desk, silently thanking Gaara for explaining the theory to his third eye technique.

Yin Release: Heavenly Seer! A small ball of chakra formed in the palm of my hand that became silvery dust as I clenched my fist around it. The dust swirled upwards, reforming into an eye high above me. I shook my hair in front of my face, hiding as I closed my left eye.

As soon as my eye was closed, I could see in the point of view from the silver eye floating high above me, allowing me to see the answers of the other applicants. I soon found an applicant that had no problems answering the question. Honing in on his paper, I began to write out the answers myself.

The forty five minutes sped by as the same teams were disqualified. Pacing the front, Ibiki stopped and turned to the genin.

"All right! Here is the tenth question," he announced. "But, before that, I'm going to add some rules for the last question. Let me explain… These are the hopeless rules.

"First," he began, "You guys will have to choose whether or not you will take this tenth question."

"What do you mean, choose?" an Ame genin called. "What happens if you don't take the question?"

"If you choose not to take this question, your score will be zero. In other words, you will fail," Ibiki said, smiling evilly. I hid a frown. For not choosing to take the question be so harsh a punishment, the alternative must be severe as well. "And of course, the same goes for your teammates."

The room got louder as the genin protested the rule. They quieted when Ibiki spoke again.

"And one more rule," he said, looking down. "If you choose to take it and are unable to answer correctly, then you will lose your right to take the Chuunin Exams ever again!"

"What kind of ridiculous rule is that! Besides, there are plenty of people here who have taken the Chuunin Exams before!" one of the Leaf's rookies, an Inuzuka, shouted, indignant. His young ninken barked in agreement while Ibiki laughed, silencing the room once more.

"You're just unlucky," he said, staring at the genin. "I make the rules this year. But, I give you the option to go back. For those of you who aren't confident, you can choose not to take it and take the exam next year or the year after that. Let's begin," Ibiki growled. "The tenth question… Those who will not be taking it: raise your hands! Once I confirm your number, leave the room."

A Konoha genin was the first to leave, taking his team with him out the door. More and more genin raised their hands and I saw Naruto tense up. Briefly I wondered what he was going to do.

Eventually, watching the teams dwindle down, Naruto slowly raised his hand, confusing me. I thought that he was the type of never-say-die shinobi, the ones that usually get killed doing something stupid but are still called heros. The confusion melted away when he slammed his hand on the table, getting up to yell at the proctor.

"Don't underestimate me! I won't run! I'll take it, but even if I'm stuck being a genin forever, I will become Hokage whatever it takes! I'm not scared!"

Apparently finished, Naruto sat down, arms crossed and a smile invariably on his face.

"I'll say it again. This is a life altering decision. If you want to quit, now is your chance!" No one moved. Ibiki strode forward, counting the genin. Ibiki glanced around at the sentinel ninja, each nodding their head. "I like your determination! For those who are still here… The first exam… You've passed it!" he announced. I scoffed, but Sakura was the first to speak.

"What- what does that mean? All of a sudden, you're telling us that we all passed!" she shouted, standing at her desk. "What about the tenth question?"

"There never was a tenth question," Ibiki said, laughing. "Well, you can look at your decision to stay as the tenth question." He smiled. Temari was the next to complain.

"Hey! Then what were the first nine questions for! It was just a waste of time!" What's-His-Name shouted. I glared at him.

"Baka. He was testing our information gathering skills."

Ibiki nodded at me before proceeding to explain the first exam in detail. Unfortunately Ibiki's speech was cut short by the flying ball of cloth that was Mitarashi Anko. Two kunai later and the banner was up, Ibiki from the genin.

"You guys! It is not time to celebrate yet! I'm the proctor of the second exam, Mitarashi Anko!" she shouted to the genin. Ibiki's head appeared from behind the new curtain.

"Read the atmosphere," he said emotionlessly. Anko glanced at the genin.

"78?" she asked. "You let 26 teams slide by? I guess the first exam was too easy this time 'round."

"It seems that this time there are a lot of excellent candidates," he growled. Anko shrugged, looking back at the genin.

"Hmm… Well, all right… I'll drop more than half of them in the second exam," she said confidently. "I'll give you the details tomorrow. We'll be changing locations, so get a jounin to tell you the time and place. That's it, dismissed!"

"Naruto-kun, you really need to work on your analytical skills," I chastised later that evening over a bowl of ramen. "You should have figured out the test within the first ten or fifteen minutes."

"What? I figured it out!" he shouted defensively. I raised an eyebrow and he deflated somewhat. "I passed it, didn't I?"

"Passing it won't always be enough, Naruto-kun. What if you get into a fight with an enemy shinobi in the field? You need to be able to understand the techniques that he or she uses in order to defeat him."

"You're wasting your time, Erina," Sakura alerted me with a sigh. "Naruto's a bit of a lost cause." I tensed, looking at the pinkette.

"Do you know why Naruto's 'a bit of a lost cause,' Sakura? If Naruto's anything like me, then he grew up almost completely alone. The Academy senseis probably ignored him, or sabotaged him intentionally. Your own parents probably told you to avoid him. Right?"

"Demo..." Sakura's voice drifted off nervously. "A little."

"And you did, until you were put on the same team. Even now you think he's a waste of time despite the fact that he's the person you'll be relying on to save your ass if you ever need it. I was a lost cause too once."

"How'd you work around it?" Naruto asked curiously. I grimaced.

"Not in any way you should try," was my answer. "But you need to take the time to work on your weaknesses."

"Ne, ne, you're pretty cool for a girl," Naruto commented. I looked at him blankly, unsure of how to respond. Luckily for me, Sakura knew just how to react.

"Baka!" she yelled, punching him in the head.


End file.
